“Way to go, Sally.”

“Careful with that debris, Todd.”

“Lift with your knee… appendages, Jeri.”

Shaggy ignored the odd looks the Lackeys were giving him and continued knocking down the wall. The space Levy had chosen for her cafe was already pretty wide, but she wanted it expanded. Sure, they didn’t have the permits for the cafe or the construction. But Shaggy really didn’t care. He needed something to do and if he could increase his Loyalty with the Lackeys, all the better.

“Nas’Iphick, watch out for falling crap. That part of the ceiling looks pretty weak.”

The grey alien with purple eyes stared at Shaggy. He gave the Lackey, who he had never spoken to, a quick wave and slammed a fist into the partition separating two areas of the building. It crumbled easily and Shaggy kicked the pieces off to another Lackey, who was manning a hovercart.

“Paul, can you take this stuff around back? Shel should be there with the truck.”

The human man gave him an odd look, but hurriedly moved the cart into position. Shaggy moved on to the next partition and got ready to break that down when Levy walked in. She was in a quiet conversation with one of her mages and pointing at the walls and ceiling of the room. She spotted him and waved, and Shaggy nodded back. He demolished the partition with his bare hands and then hurried over to his wife. As he did, he brought up the Lackey tab and checked the name of the Mage.

“Fallon! How are things going?” Shaggy said happily as he approached.

The cloaked mage started and then turned to address Shaggy. A look of confusion on his face.

“I’m… fine, sir? Was there something you wanted?”

“No, just here to talk over some things with my wife. But y’all finish up and I’ll wait here.”

Levy snorted and waved Fallon away. “We were just finished, dear. Fallon, you know what to do. For now, just act as if all the proper permits and waivers are in place.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Fallon bowed at the waist and then hurried back out the front door. The metal door shuddered a bit as it closed and Shaggy got a precious glimpse of sunlight before it was blocked again. The big building where Levy wanted her cafe looked like it had been a storage building, so it had few windows. Something Levy was going to fix as soon as possible.

“You need to stop doing that.” Levy smiled.

“What?”

“Addressing them all by name. Some of them haven’t even met you yet. So when the big bad boss comes around and starts addressing them by name, it upsets them.”

“You say that, but have you checked the Loyalty ratings?”

Levy’s eyebrow arched, intrigued. “It raises the Loyalty rating?”

“Just a bit. But it only works for the first time. It gives me like a three to five point bump in Loyalty with the person. Also, all this manual labor helps a bunch too. Everyone enjoys seeing the Big Boss sweating with the troops, so to speak.”

Levy tapped a slim finger against her lips. “That makes sense. Loyalty goes up the more you interact with your Lackeys. But it also goes up if we keep them happy and well-fed. According to the cave terminal, we are just about evening out with Lackey happiness.”

Shaggy growled in his throat as he tried to keep a smile on his face. “What? What do they want? They have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.“

“That is probably a question you could ask your new friends.” Levy nodded back to the team that was widening the building’s interior space.

“Just ask them what they want to make them happier?”

“Yes, Shaggy. It’s not that hard. You keep the Lackeys happy and the grow into Henchmen. We could do it faster if we had some modifiers, though. Like better houses, better food, entertainment areas, and stuff like that.”

“Shit, that would be way easier than remembering so many names.”

“Right? So how about you ask around and see what our Lackeys want?”

Levy gave him a peck on the cheek and started wandering into the room. “What are you going to do?”

She spun around and gave him a cute smile. “I need to get my coffee shop up to snuff. Which means I need to have a terminal manifest. Until it does, I’m just spinning my wheels.”

Shaggy gave her a salute and then hurried back over to the Lackeys. It took some awkward moments and cajoling. But eventually he was able to get some ideas from the work group. Then he went next door to the deli and asked around there. The Lackeys on guard there were a little more hesitant to share. But Shaggy eventually got their ideas as well.

He thought about visiting and talking to Franklin. But when he walked into the back of the deli, an icy chill went up his spine and sounds of whispering filtered into his ears. Shaggy immediately spun on his heel and headed down to the cave. There was no sense in bothering the deli owner when he was… practicing his craft.

As Shaggy traveled, he made sure to call out to each Lackey he saw on patrol or on guard duty. The tunnels were mostly closed off, but it was better safe than sorry. Most of the Lackeys gave him confused looks and moved on. But some waved or even said hello back. Shaggy marked the more brave Lackeys down on his menu for future considerations. He still had three spots free in his pack, after all.

Shaggy remembered talking to his pack about scouting new members. But none of them had gotten back to him yet. Checking the pack link, he found most of the pack below ground relaxing and messing around. Aside from Sybil, the grouchy blonde was back in her auto shop, taking apart more clunkers. He sent orders for Rita and Ephemara to meet him at the Lackey dorms and continued on his way.

Once he got cave-side, Shaggy made a beeline for the dormitory. Originally, it had been made for the teens. But now the four story tall building filling with two person rooms was being used to house the Lackeys. A few of the more industrious Lackeys had taken it upon themselves to build shacks out of spare wood and metal. But mostly, they all congregated in the dorm.

Rita and Ephemara were waiting for him by the door, and Shaggy gave them both a nod before he went in. A wave of shouts and cheers went up as he entered the first floor common area. The smell of stale sweat and alcohol filled his nostrils and Shaggy almost gagged. The whole floor stank like a gym locker room that had never been cleaned. Rita and Ephemara paused at the door before they closed it and maintained contact through the pack link.

“Traitors” Shaggy growled.

But his words went unnoticed as another round of loud cheers went up near the eastern wall. The common area was a wide open space with tables and chairs to the left and a holoscreen and couches to the right. In the middle sat an unused reception desk that someone had shoddily transformed into a kitchenette. All the noise was coming from around the holoscreen, and Shaggy walked over as he pinched his nose.

An enormous pile of men and aliens were crowded around the screen watching some sport Shaggy was unfamiliar with. It seemed like a more brutal form of rugby, with only one goal set in the middle of the field. Two teams fought over the oblong ball across a shifting foam battlefield and tried to score a point for their team. Shaggy got so caught up in watching he didn’t realize that the room had gone silent and everyone was staring at him.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

“Well, well, well,” said a gruff voice, drawing Shaggy’s attention away from the screen. “Look who has decided to grace us with his presences. Watch out boys, the boss is roaming around.”

Shaggy’s eyes spotted the six-foot tall orc-like alien as he stumbled his way out of the crowd. Several other aliens and humans tried to stop the orc. But he was clearly inebriated and had a bone to pick. The mottled green alien stuck a thick finger out at Shaggy and started slurring loudly.

“What’s one of the BIG BOYS doing down here in the muck, huh!? Got some new order for the grunts?! Well?! Go on!? Bark your orders, dog-man!”

Shaggy ignored the drunk Orc and quickly brought up his in-game menus. Switching over to the Lackey tab, Shaggy used the orc’s face to find him and bring up his Lackey stats.

127. Yargol (Lackey)

1. Scorfarian – Level 4

2. Personality – Rager

3. Loyalty – 23

1. -15 (Living conditions)

2. -10 (Underfed)

3. -5 (Boredom)

Yargol had gotten closer as Shaggy went over his stats. Closing the window, Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the large green alien. If Yargol was underfed, then why did he look like a damn bodybuilder? The orc wasn’t wearing a shirt, leaving his six-packs abs out for all to see. All he had on were a pair of beige pants that clashed with his fantasy looks. Yargol opened his mouth, probably to spew more accusations at Shaggy. But a fist smacked the taller alien to the floor and Yargol collapsed into a heap.

Shaggy idly shook out his knuckles and turned to the rest of the room. Someone had turned off the screen, so the only noise was the group of Lackeys breathing too damn hard. Yargol’s friends looked a little annoyed, but a glare from Shaggy seemed to put them in their place. Shaggy pretended to check his knuckles for injuries as he asked.

“So… are you fine people… discouraged by the way I am using you?”

Shaggy rounded the couch and waited for an answer. When the crowd remained silent, Shaggy sighed and spread his arms.

“Feel free to express your displeasure. Yargol only got that treatment because he was drunk and belligerent. If you remain civil, I will hear your complaints.”

“Yar wasn’t drunk!” A female alien from Yargol’s crowd said.

Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at that. But a human man with silver hair explained. “Scorfarians need alcohol to stay sober. Yargol wasn’t getting enough, so he was a little mad.”

“Why didn’t he go through the portal and get some food and drinks, then? We are attached to a damn bar!”

“The stuff they served wasn’t strong enough, boss. And Scorfarians don’t eat meat, so the burgers and steaks from the bar were useless.”

Shaggy tilted at his waist and peered at the large green mass that was Yargol. How someone got that big eating plants was beyond him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. Several other aliens in the room seemed to nod in agreement.

“Anyone with… dietary needs, please make them known. The Legion doesn’t need goons too weak to work.”

“So we are just grunts to do your bidding?”

Shaggy blinked. “Of course you are?! Did you people forget this is a criminal organization? We take care of you and you do our grunt work? Do it well enough and you can see advancement.”

“Ya ain’t been taking care of us, though.”

“How?”

“Well… look at this place. It’s a pigsty.”

Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. “I’m not your damn mother! Are none of you gangsters capable of cleaning up your own shit? It’s not my fault you lot turned this place into a fucking fraternity! The teens that used to live here kept the place clean better than you damn adults! What the fuck’s wrong with all of you?!”

Silence met Shaggy’s tirade, and he felt the need to punch something. Unfortunately, all the Lackeys had moved away from him when he started screaming. The only thing nearby was the projector for the holoscreen, and he wasn’t breaking that. Instead, Shaggy closed his eyes and counted down from ten. When he was done and opened them again, another stupid voice spoke up.

“All the ladies go back to Under-Town when the daily work is done.”

Shaggy gave the alien a confused look. “Is that a complaint?”

The humanoid-looking alien nodded vigorously. “Yeah, we want girls. Women make the downtime more fun.”

Shaggy looked around the common area of the dorm. It was full of trash and random bits of clothes. He waved an arm across the crowd as he snorted in derision.

“What woman in their right mind would stay here? What guy would? How can you lot live like this? What’s wrong with you?”

“Hey! Nothing’s wrong with us. We just don’t want to clean up after ourselves.”

Shaggy grew his claws out on both his hands and sighed wearily. “You dumb fucks are going to clean up this dorm right now. I want one person from each couch to stay behind to talk to me, but the rest of you fucking nimrods get to cleaning. You have three seconds to comply.”

Shaggy slowly counted in his head as a fight broke out at each couch. The fights were brutal and efficient, although no one was killed. As Shaggy got to one and three people surrounded him, he gave the rest of the crowd of lackeys a deadly look. Those still trying to claw their way close to him gave up and started picking up junk. The three surrounding him were two women from the side couches and one male from the front couch.

The alien woman from Yargol’s couch scowled at him but said nothing. The alien male, who had pale yellow skin and red eyes, looked a little more cheerful. And the last woman was…

“Branka? What the fuck are you doing here?”

The former street-teen shrugged her broad shoulders at him and grinned. “I didn’t want to leave when Rita took the others to Under-Town. I’ve been with the grunts since you first came out here.”

“Living here?” Shaggy asked with a knowing look.

Branka shrugged. “It’s not that bad. You just got to know how to deal with them.”

Shaggy nodded and looked around. The Lackeys were getting to work slowly, but they were cleaning at least. With a sigh, Shaggy got to what he originally wanted to say.

“What I want to know from you three is… what can we do down here to make you happier?”

The yellow-skinned alien looked confused. But Branka and the other alien woman said together.

“Showers.”

“I thought there were shared bathrooms on each floor.” Shaggy said.

Branka gave him a dirty look as the other woman snorted.

“We need proper showers. Not this damn dormitory shared shit. And a laundry mat. Half the reason this place stinks so much is because these idiots don’t know how to wash their clothes.”

“Oh, and we need a proper place to eat on this side. We make runs to the super market occasionally, but we have nowhere to cook the food we buy. Electric campfires and portable stoves can only do so much, boss.”

“Maybe we could do some farming?” Said the yellow alien. “I’ve noticed the soil by the trees is actually quite fertile.”

Shaggy took it all in as he watched the Lackeys work. He and Levy had been having them help clear the cave out, but they hadn’t noticed the Lackeys’ living conditions. Or what they did in their downtime. Branka and the alien woman were still listing out things they wanted in the cave, as Shaggy sighed to himself. Eventually, he waved for them both to be quiet. Once they had settled down, Shaggy pointed at Branka.

“Get a list and get it to me. You and these two get this dorm back into shape. If someone gives you trouble, you go to the pack. If someone gives them shit, tell them to come to me.”

“What about Yargol?” The alien woman asked, angrily eyeing Shaggy.

“What about him? When he wakes up, put him to work. If he can’t work, go get him some damn food. Seriously, why do I have to tell you people to take care of yourselves? You have free time. Use it to get what you need.”

The angry-looking alien woman finally looked a little chagrined as she said. “I told Yargol he would get in trouble if he left the cave for too long.”

Shaggy slapped his forehead and shook his head as he grabbed the male alien and spun him toward the door. Over his shoulder, he shouted to Branka.

“Get me that list, Branka. You’re in charge.”

Exiting the building, Shaggy gave Ephe and Rita dirty looks as he propped open the door. He led the alien, whose name was Dalo, toward the treeline and asked him to point out the fertile soil. It turned out that magical trees made for magical land, which was very good for growing crops. Dalo went on and on about the various aspects of farming that Shaggy just tuned the alien out. Eventually, he told the alien to block off sections of land and get some people together for a farming project.

As the yellow alien was happily playing in the dirt, Rita raised an eyebrow at Shaggy.

“Farming?”

“The troops need food and some of them need hobbies. Two birds, one stone. Now I just have to find more side projects for the other Lackeys.”

“You could make a brothel. That’s always good for morale.” Ephemara said with a smile.

Shaggy shrugged. “No problem with that morally. So long as the women agree. But let’s not do that for now. There are so many other steps before we get to a brothel.”

“Not to mention that the kids still come back here, Ephe.”

The pale woman waved off Rita’s concerns but didn’t bring it up again as Shaggy led them both back to his cabin. The terminal for the cave was there, and he wanted to see if he could get some quick buildings down. As they walked, Rita asked.

“Did you want us to give you some more ideas to raise morale, boss?”

Shaggy paused as he tried to remember what he had called them for. They were on his porch when it finally hit him.

“Oh yeah, remember when I asked the pack to find us some new members? I was wondering who y’all came up with.”

Ephemara and Rita shared an excited look as they both moved to sit on the porch. Shaggy could feel their elation through the pack bond. It even seemed to get the attention of the others. Apparently, the entire pack was ready for more to join them.